April 4, 2003

Crews Face Tough Competition

With one win under its belt, the women’s crew will compete this weekend in a regatta against Yale and host Syracuse. Yale boasts one of the fastest teams in the league, but coming off a strong showing last weekend against George Washington, the Red has shown confidence and a strong desire for victory.

“I’ve got a tough group of women to work with. They love to compete; competition brings a lot out of them,” head coach Melanie Onufrieff said.

Onufrieff noted the areas where her team needs improvement. In practice this week, the Red has been focusing on what’s going on in the boat, working to improve its times, and practicing to execute a successful game plan.

When asked what she will tell her rowers before the race, Onufrieff said, “All they can do is their best, and we will continue to build on that from each race.”

The men’s heavyweight crew will face Georgetown at Princeton this weekend. The Red is coming off a successful weekend, which saw it sweep all of its races against both Michigan and Marist.

The lightweight crew will travel to Philadelphia to compete against Harvard and Penn. Head coach Todd Kennett ’91 commented on his team’s regatta this weekend.

“Harvard has had one of the top three programs in the country throughout the past decade,” he said.

The Crimson has yet to race this spring, while the Red tested the waters against Ithaca College last weekend.

Kennett is a bit more optimistic about his team’s chances against Penn.

“They haven’t had the best of luck, but if we stick to our game plan, we can beat them,” Kennett said.

Kennett’s strategy for this weekend is not too complicated.

“I want them to produce boat speed. It would be asking for a miracle to be perfect, but I will be looking for reasonable times,” he said.

While the Red has only been on the water for two and a half weeks, the crews are becoming more comfortable with the water with each passing day.

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